Syko - happy memories

[Guest]

Think we all agree Paul was a top bloke and a total star for Margate, who knows what might have been if he hadn't picked up that injury a few years back?

 

Just thinking about some of the great things about him, two came to mind straight away.

 

1) His goal celebration with Bugsy when Bugsy crouched on all fours and Syko sat on his back puffing on an imaginary cigar.

 

2) When Syko had a go at the fans at the Hartsdown Road for getting on Phil Collins' back - everybody trooped off for half time except for Syko who launched into a amazing defence of his team-mate, never seen anything like it and it summed up Syko's passion for the game and feeling for his fellow players.

 

Anybody else got any happy memories of him or a story to tell ?

 

Goes without saying that this is an awful tragedy.

[Guest]

From a Dover watching perspective two memories stand fairly strong in the memory

 

1) Him coming off the bench against Chippenham then ghetting sent off 30 seconds later for a lunge on the keeper lol. Showed his real enthusiasm for the game but I don't recall laughing too much at the time <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

2) Also remember him, when we were losing 2-1 at Grantham, running down the touchline, shouting over to us 'Its sh*t 'ere innit!' He wasn't wrong!

 

Great guy and an 100% enthusast for the game. A bit too enthusiastic sometimes, as the Chippenham memory shows <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> but he wore his heart on his sleeve and gave everything he had for whichever club he played.

 

A real loss.

[BlueGate Alan]

My memory of him will be the way he always celebrated his goals, always got the fans invoved. Great stuff!! Football needs blokes like him, the Stuart Pearce of Non League football, always fully committed to the game! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/angel.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

The celebrations will stick in my mind. I remember him scoring at the Coffin End one time and sprinting around in circles like a complete lunatic.

Does anyone else recall his first ever game for the club? It was a friendly at Ramsgate and he had to be taken off for an incident with Chris Thomas.

He may have had a brief life, but he lived it to the full. RIP.

[Guest]

http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=934&p=2&stid=8378169

 

great picture of sykes when he was a kid at gills.

 

rip paul

[Guest]

Just noticed the history site has a nice pic on the front page too...

 

Syko

[Gringo]

Syko is one of the reasons i got addicted to watching the Gate. He was great at getting the fans singing R.I.P Paul.

[Guest]

My main memory of Paul was that he didn't know a lost cause, and that made him something special to watch. Got him booked a lot though.

 

 

R.I.P

[Guest]

The one where he had a go at the fans for getting on Phil Collins back is the one that always springs to mind when thinking of Syko.

 

Also how with a bit more luck he could have won us the game against Fulham but the ball came to him awkwardly when fairly clean through.

 

My son also has a lasting memory, which he always mentions...away to Weymouth on a Tuesday night when he scored the only goal of the game after just a couple of minutes.

 

Steve

[Guest]

Syko was just one of those players you wanted to watch, always entertaining.

 

So many good memories of him, his banter with Bugsy (what a partnership) - I always remember Paul's "you're too good a player NOT to score" comment to him when Bugsy was in the midst of a goal drought.

 

Then all the crowd-pleasing stuff like cupping his hand to his ear every time a song was sung about him or growling "come on !!" to the fans.

 

The Phil Collins' thing and the cigar celebration, away trips on the coach when he was the life and soul of the party, so many things.

 

The bit on Meridian had some great footage of Syko in action and celebrating a goal with a run round the back of the net, also sure one of the tributes to him at Cheriton was signed 'Bugsy'.

 

Think he was one of those players who'd never have been forgotten, even before what's happened - what a total star.

[JohnKirby]

He always had time for the fans, a fantastic player, I think i'll pull the fulham game out tonight and give it a watch. I feel so sorry for his family and their loss. the talk of our stadium and relegation fight are insignificant when a man so young and full of life is taken away. I hope respects are paid well at the final, maybe the club or someone could print out all the tributes in due time and maybe get them to the family to show how much he was loved by fans from all corners of Kent.

[Guest]

I will also remember Skyo as a player who had time for the fans. When he was having his injury problems at Margate he was often out on the pitch and in the terraces talking to the fans. My thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.

[bluebulldog]

Syko, what a player,great attitude to the game and someone everyone looked up to.Made football fun,which is what it should be.Players are paid a fortune but dont have a 1/1000 of the charisma Paul had.Long live the memories of Paul Sykes.

[Guest]

yer i remember that celebration bugsy is my dad u will remember me as danny or bugsy jnr he always had a laugh i remember every time wen the game would finish i would run on the pitch to him and my dad they were best mates and strike partners wat a lovely bloke will be missed massivly.

[PhilC]

I was at the game where we fans got a bolloc***g. We were certainly giving PC a hard time and I couldn't believe it when Syko came over and slated us. Thank God he did, look what a fantastic partnership they became!!

 

God speed Paul!